Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Chase Elliott on the Front Row at Daytona

by Ron Fleshman with John Davison

AP Photo/John Raoux

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Dale Earnhardt won the pole and fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will start seonnd in Saturday night's NASCAR Monster Energy Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. It was Earnhart's first pole since 2013. He will lead the field to the green flag in what could be his final Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt reached 190.973 mph during his fast lap, putting his No. 88 Chevrolet in the top spot for Saturday’s race. The pole also earned Earnhardt an automatic spot in the exhibition Clash at Daytona in 2018, giving him an opportunity to cut his impending retirement short and get back behind the wheel at the famed track for Speedweeks. Earnhardt was the final driver to qualify and bumped Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott to second. The front row is a reverse from the Daytona 500, when Elliott landed the pole and Earnhardt started on the outside of the front row. It was a strong day overall for Hendrick, with Kasey Kahne qualifying fourth. Wedged between the top Hendrick cars was Brad Keselowski, who qualified third for Team Penske.